Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 15.1
World mohair production by country, 1972-2007
1
, million kg.
Year
South Africa
Turkey
USA
Argentina
Australia
New Zealand
Lesotho
Other
Total
1972
3.70
4.10
4.60
1.00
—
—
0.80
—
14.20
1973
3.40
4.10
4.50
1.00
—
—
0.60
—
13.60
1974
3.70
4.10
3.80
1.00
—
—
0.60
—
13.20
1975
3.80
3.90
3.90
1.00
—
—
0.60
—
13.20
1976
4.10
4.00
3.60
1.00
—
—
0.60
—
13.30
1977
4.60
4.10
3.60
1.00
—
—
0.40
—
13.70
1978
4.90
4.50
3.70
1.00
—
—
0.50
—
14.60
1979
5.40
4.50
4.20
1.00
—
—
0.50
—
15.60
1980
6.10
4.50
4.00
1.00
—
—
0.60
—
16.20
1981
6.90
4.50
4.50
1.00
—
—
0.60
—
17.50
1982
7.60
4.50
4.50
1.00
—
—
0.60
—
18.20
1983
7.20
3.80
4.80
1.10
—
—
0.70
—
17.60
1984
8.10
3.50
5.00
1.00
—
—
0.70
—
18.30
1985
9.20
3.50
6.00
1.00
—
—
0.80
—
20.50
1986
11.00
3.00
7.20
1.00
—
—
0.80
—
23.00
1987
11.50
3.00
7.30
1.00
1.00
—
0.80
—
24.60
1988
12.20
2.90
7.80
1.00
1.00
0.40
0.70
—
26.00
1989
11.70
2.00
7.80
1.00
1.20
0.60
0.60
—
24.90
1990
10.10
1.80
7.30
1.00
0.60
0.40
0.60
—
21.80
1991
7.60
1.20
7.40
0.90
0.50
0.30
0.50
—
18.40
1992
6.70
1.20
7.10
0.60
0.50
0.30
0.40
—
16.80
1993
6.00
0.80
6.50
0.60
0.40
0.30
0.40
—
15.00
1994
5.70
0.80
5.40
0.40
0.40
0.20
0.40
—
13.30
1995
5.40
0.60
4.80
0.50
0.40
0.20
0.50
—
12.40
1996
5.60
0.40
3.50
0.40
0.40
0.20
0.50
—
11.00
1997
5.20
0.40
2.50
0.40
0.30
0.20
0.40
—
9.40
1998
5.00
0.40
1.50
0.40
0.30
0.20
0.40
—
8.20
1999
4.50
0.40
1.20
0.25
0.25
0.20
0.40
—
7.20
2000
4.30
0.40
1.00
0.25
0.25
0.20
0.50
—
6.90
2001
4.20
0.30
0.80
0.30
0.25
0.20
0.50
0.30
6.85
2002
4.20
0.30
0.75
0.30
0.20
0.10
0.45
0.30
6.60
2003
3.95
0.25
0.90
0.30
0.25
0.15
0.45
0.30
6.55
2004
3.70
0.20
0.85
0.25
0.25
0.15
0.45
0.20
6.05
2005
3.60
0.30
0.80
0.30
0.20
0.15
0.60
0.25
6.20
2006
3.35
0.30
0.80
0.40
0.15
0.10
0.75
0.20
6.05
2007
3.00
0.35
0.55
0.45
0.20
0.10
0.75
0.20
5.60
1
Source: Review 2007 , p. 13 . Mohair South Africa, Jansenville, South Africa.
Mohair Production
Mohair production and prices have increased and fallen in
response to unpredictable fashion cycles (see Figure 15.1
and Table 15.1) (Van der Westhuysen, 2005). In the 1970s,
Angora goat populations in South Africa and the U.S. were
increased in response to the high demand for hand-knitting
yarns from European and Far Eastern countries. As the
demand for hand knitting declined, starting in the late
1980s, so too did mohair production (Table 15.1). The
worldwide decline in mohair production was also a
response to alternative livestock operations being adopted
that were expected to be more profi table, less volatile,
more reliable, and less demanding in terms of labor and
maintenance. In the U.S., many erstwhile Angora goat
